the beautiful project: feature #1

from the archives: 02.06.09

Today is June 2nd which means that it is the start of a new feature on our blog called “the same 8 questions we always ask”. Each week, the Got Craft blog will feature one artist and yes, you guessed it, ask them the same 8 questions!

What do you make?
I make sweet & sassy note cards, birthday calendars and other lovely paperie under the name The Beautiful Project

What or who inspires you?
I’m inspired by all things vintage, from old cookbooks, pretty linens and fabrics, to old kids books. Anything with a touch of whimsy and cuteness is okay by me! I also find inspiration from just biking around the city and poking around my Strathcona neighbourhood and Chinatown.

How did you get started?
Years ago I used to create a zine and then I moved on to doing web design and spending more time on the computer. After awhile, I decided that I wanted to get back to doing my own work and I really enjoyed coming up with illustrations and working with paper.

What are your favourite materials to work with?
Why paper of course!

What is the hardest and most favourite part of crafting?
My favorite part about crafting is seeing an idea that exists inside your head become real. It’s so satisfying to look at all the cards and stationery that I’ve created and feel proud that I’m doing something that I love. Having others love my work, we’ll that’s pretty awesome too! The worst part? Well, the process of creating can be frustrating because sometimes it’s hard to recreate the grandiose visions in my head or part of the printing process goes wrong or the colours don’t work out like you’d like them. These are all small frustrations but they are definitely worthwhile since all that hard work does end up getting somewhere. There is no “worst” in creating, it’s just that some roads are bumpier than others. You’ll end up getting to a wonderful place in the end (*crosses fingers*)

List 5 of your favourite links and why you like them Poppytalk: A great Vancouver-based design/craft showcase. Jan always has great posts and seeing such great work out there always keeps me on my toes!

Vancouver Slop: Because I’m usually always hungry and I like to go out to eat on occasion.

Pitch Design Union: As a graphic/web design and an illustrator, this blog is filled with inspiration!

Oh So Beautiful Paper: I just discovered this blog last week. It’s very inspiring and if you love beautiful paper, then this is the blog for you. I love it!

Instead of 1 last link, I’ll tell you that I’m slightly addicted to Tumblr. Tumblr is a photo blog of sorts and I always stumble upon really strange and interesting things. It’s really random, weird and wonderful and perfect for people who think that starting a blog is too cumbersome.

Do you have any advice for those in the biz?
My advice would be market yourself. That’s the hardest part since it’s easy enough to work away in obscurity. But to have others find you, that’s the hard part. So read up for advice on blogs, check out Etsy.com for tips, and get out there and network!

Art vs. Craft – Are these terms different? Do you consider yourself an artist or a crafter?
It’s really hard for me to define what I do in terms of “Is it art?” or “Is it craft?”. The craft movement has exploded in the past 10 years and when I saw others making things that I could make too, that was truly inspiring. The craft realm seems also to be more welcoming to new faces. While I am an illustrator and a designer those are the more commercial forms of art and I’m definitely not a traditional artist. For me, I just love what I do whether it’s as a graphic designer, a web designer, an illustrator and a card maker. If you want to call me crafty, I’m happy with that too.

On a related note, Jeannette also writes an amazing food blog called Everybody Likes Sandwiches. Check it out for some tasty and easy to follow recipes!

(photo images courtesy of Jeannette Ordas)

If you are interested in being featured, please send us an email at info(at)gotcraft(dot)com.

Related Posts

Hello! We are a husband and wife team that share a love for a good cup of coffee and a slice of Victoria sponge. This is where we share our work, our travels, snippets of our everyday life, and most important, the things we ♥.